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| Living in the USA. |
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| Immigration and visas
If you want contact details for a selection of US immigration attorneys (including one used by ExportAction), please email.
We would say it, but... if you fancy a move to the US, having established a business (longer time the better) is a good help towards Visas and Immigration.
Before doing anything else, a visit to this web site is recommend.
"We have an employee who wants to work in..." Boston, New York, New Orleans, San Francisco, Washington DC, Philadelphia, San Diego... we have heard them all. We will be pleased to discuss this with you, but prepare yourself by answering some questions.
First, please be absolutely sure they are legally entitled to work in the US. You can do irreparable damage to your company and its business by employing an "illegal alien." If you have a serious future in the US, it is not worth the risk of what can look to be (but is not) a chance worth taking.
Ask yourself what the employee will be doing in the US. Is their contribution towards your business really best served by being based in the US?
Ask where they want to be based. Is that location truly best for your business, or is your employee being influenced by family, friends, lifestyle...?
Put your business interests first. It can be a good indicator if you ask the employee who wants to go to the West Coast, if they really want to be in the US if they are prepared to be based on the East Coast.
Establish what the individual is going to be doing. If it is sales, there are few things worse than hearing explanations from sales executives that they could not make target because they had to be in the office to answer the 'phone, deal with the mail, wait for a parcel... or go to the post office or the bank.
Is a one-person office good for your business? Who will cover for vacation, sickness, compassionate leave, training, customer visits?
Will you have a company? Will it be based in a business and tax friendly location?
Are you prepared for the responsibilities of employing someone in the US?
How confident are you in the long-term commitment of someone who wants to leave the UK for the US? What will be the implications of setting-up an employee in, say, Kansas City and having them leave at, sometimes, very short notice?
PLEASE be careful about companies that tell you they can help you with Visas - it seems to attract charlatans. First, don't use web sites that aren't .gov - there are loads of them. Second, don't use a lawyer/attorney without getting a good reference (we know a good one). The bad guys seem to take £3,000 upwards, take ages and take the line that when you don't get what you want that's your problem, they've done the work (huh!) and they're keeping your money.
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